This invention relates to a process to coat rice seed with calcium peroxide. Rice seeds coated with calcium peroxide offers an improved method of establishing stands of rice plants in flooded seed beds with low oxygen levels. Calcium peroxide reacts with water to release oxygen that is utilized in germination by the coated seeds. Seeds of undesirable plants in the same seed bed will not germinate resulting in rice fields free of weeds. The usefulness of seed coated with calcium peroxide to establish stands of rice in flooded seed beds has been reported by Yamada, 1951; Ohta and Nakamura, 1970; Ohta and Makayama, 1971; Mitsuishi and Nakamura, 1977; Mikkelson, 1980 and Bowling and Turner 1980.
Calcium peroxide is a light fluffy powder which can be formulated by reacting calcium hydroxide with hydrogen peroxide. The reaction is as follows: Ca (OH).sub.2 +H.sub.2 O.sub.2 -CaO.sub.2 +8 H.sub.2 O+heat. The excess heat must be removed by cooling and the excess water by drying. The calcium peroxide must then be ground to the desired particle size. Each process adds to the cost of the product.
The process normally used to coat rice seed with calcium peroxide is to apply to the seed as a slurry in water or first apply an adhesive to the seed and then apply as a dry powder.
In view of the above considerations a process to coat rice seed with calcium peroxide by chemical reaction directly on the seed thereby eliminating the numerous steps required in the normal manufacturing and coating processes would be extremely beneficial in rice production.